F1 driver and team line-up for 2025 championship
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From the biggest driver signing in F1 history to a flurry of young talents securing contracts, the ‘silly season’ in preparation for the 2025 championship truly lived up to its name.
The 2025 F1 season is fast approaching, and with the grid well and truly set, there's much to uncover about who ended up where.
Undoubtedly, the most significant move came from Lewis Hamilton, who left Mercedes after 12 years and 222 races, signing a mega deal with Ferrari.
His spot was filled by the youngest driver on the grid, Andrea Kimi Antonelli – one of six rookies for the 2025 season.
Another newcomer in F1 is Australian Jack Doohan, who made his debut in Abu Dhabi last year and now joins Alpine alongside Pierre Gasly.
Daniel Ricciardo may be without a seat, but the grid will still feature two Australians this year, with Oscar Piastri heading into his second season with McLaren.
The 2025 season brings another 24-round calendar, celebrating the championship’s 75th anniversary, with the opener returning to Melbourne for the first time since 2019.
The 2024 season quickly turned into a thriller, featuring seven different race winners, including two first-time victors, and more teams battling for podium finishes.
Even the manufacturers’ championship was tightly contested, with only 14 points separating McLaren and Ferrari for first and second place. Here's to hoping 2025 delivers the same excitement and parity.
Here's a list of the teams and driver line-up for 2025:
Pierre Gasly, Alpine – contracted until at least the end of 2026
Pierre Gasly signed a multi-year contract extension in June 2024.
The Frenchman delivered an impressive performance in the 2024 season, securing 10th place overall and finishing four positions ahead of his teammate, Esteban Ocon.
The 2025 season will be his third with the team.
Jack Doohan, Alpine – contracted for 2025, but already under threat
The Australian – and son of five-time 500cc motorcycle world champion Mick Doohan – secured a one-year contract, elevating him from reserve driver to a full-time seat for the 2025 season.
At just 21 years of age, he got a glimpse of the big stage by making his debut in last year's season finale in Abu Dhabi, and Doohan holds the distinction of being the first Alpine Academy driver to step up to F1 as a full-time racer with the team.
However, the Gold Coast native’s time in F1 is already under a cloud, with reports suggesting he has six races with Alpine in 2025 to ensure his future for the rest of the year.
MORE: Australian F1 star Jack Doohan's career already under threat
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin – multi-year contract until at least the end of 2026
Early into the 2024 season the Spaniard signed a multi-year deal that extends throughout 2026 – a crucial year with the introduction of new regulations.
Finishing ahead of his teammate, 13th-placed Lance Stroll, Alonso ended 2024 in ninth position – and will be the oldest driver on the grid in 2025, with a 25-year age gap to the youngest racer, Kimi Antonelli.
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin – multi-year contract until at least the end of 2026
As the son of team owner Lawrence Stroll, it may come as no surprise to many fans that Stroll secured a contract extension in June last year, confirming his place with the team until at least the end of 2026.
The Canadian has been with the team since 2019, completing 112 races to date and achieving a career-best Grand Prix finish of third place.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari – contract beyond 2024
Before the 2024 season even began, Ferrari secured its lead driver with a long-term contract. The team hasn’t disclosed the length of the deal, however reports suggests it lasts for as long as five years, which would keep him with the team until 2029.
Last year Leclerc scored three Grand Prix wins, finishing third overall.
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari – multi-year contract
This big move for 2025 is Lewis Hamilton’s departure from Mercedes after 12 years, 222 races, 82 race wins, and six World Drivers’ Championships.
The partnership includes a multi-year deal, reportedly valued at $AU158 million per year.
Oliver Bearman, Haas – multi-year contract until at least the end of 2026
Haas has a new driver line-up for the season, with Oliver Bearman joining Esteban Ocon.
A stellar debut with Ferrari and two additional outings with Haas in 2024 paved the way for Bearman to secure a full-time F1 seat for the 2025 season.
At just 19 years old, the British teen has signed a multi-year contract, keeping him with the team until at least the end of 2026.
Esteban Ocon, Haas – multi-year contract until at least the end of 2026
Esteban Ocon joined Haas on a multi-year deal after parting ways with Alpine – having spent five years with the team, which included one Grand Prix win.
In the 2024 season, Ocon achieved a best result of second place at the São Paulo Grand Prix and finished 14th in the driver standings, but his season was cut one race short to allow him to complete a post-season test with his new team.
MORE: Australian Jack Doohan may make F1 debut this week after star crashes and quits
Nico Hulkenberg, Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber – multi-year contract until at least the end of 2026
Another new-look team as both Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu are left without full-time seats, and replaced by Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto, at the catchily-named Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber outfit that is set to rebrand to Audi in 2026.
The German driver secured a multi-year contract for what will become a German team from next year.
Gabriel Bortoleto, Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber – multi-year contract
Bortoleto served as a McLaren reserve driver while climbing the ranks in the junior open-wheel categories, winning the Formula Three title in 2023 and Formula Two championship in 2024.
However, with both of its full-time seats occupied, McLaren released him to secure a race seat with the Sauber team for the 2025 season.
At just 20 years old, Gabriel has secured a multi-year deal that will see him continue into the squad’s Audi era.
George Russell, Mercedes-AMG – contract until at least the end of 2025
A Mercedes driver since 2022, Russell claimed two Grand Prix victories in 2024 (Las Vegas and Austria), which would’ve been three if not for a disqualification during the Belgian Grand Prix – making him the first driver in 30 years to be disqualified from a race win.
The British driver outperformed his teammate, Lewis Hamilton, securing sixth place in the driver standings.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes-AMG – contract until at least the end of 2025
After months of speculation over who would replace Lewis Hamilton, it was finally revealed late in the silly season that rising star, Kimi Antonelli, would claim the highly coveted seat.
At 18 years of age, the Italian will be the youngest in the field, and ranks as the third-youngest driver to make a F1 debut.
Lando Norris, McLaren – multi-year contract
The British star signed his most recent contract extension in January 2024, securing his future with the team into 2026 and beyond.
Norris finished the 2024 season in second place – after closing the gap to champion Max Verstappen at times during the year – collecting four Grand Prix wins.
Oscar Piastri, McLaren – contract until the end of 2026
Australian young gun, Oscar Piastri, is contracted with McLaren until the end of 2026 after signing a multi-year deal in 2023.
The 23-year-old secured two race wins during his rookie season in 2024, and placed an impressive fourth in the driver standings.
Yuki Tsunoda, RB – contract until end of 2025
A member of the Red Bull Junior Team since 2019, Tsunoda signed with AlphaTauri in 2021, but was once again overlooked for a promotion to the main Red Bull Racing team for 2025.
The Japanese driver has a contract with the sister RB squad for another season, and will be joined by a new teammate, Isack Hadjar.
Isack Hadjar, RB – contract until the end of 2025
Isack joined the Red Bull Junior Team in 2022 and finished as the runner-up in the 2024 F2 season, earning him a place at RB in F1 for 2025 after Liam Lawson’s graduation to the senior Red Bull team.
The Frenchman becomes the 19th driver to graduate to F1 from Red Bull’s junior program, which has been nurturing talent since its inception in 2001.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing – contract until the end of 2028 season
In 2022, Max Verstappen cemented his future with a contract extending through the end of 2028, valued at over $AU88 million per year.
The Dutchman clocked up his fourth World Drivers’ Championship with the team in 2024, with this year to mark his 11th in F1 – after debuting for sister team Toro Rosso at the 2015 Australian Grand Prix, aged 17 years and 166 days.
Liam Lawson, Red Bull Racing – contract for 2025
Despite two years left on Sergio Perez’s contract, Red Bull parted ways with the Mexican driver at the end of 2024, replacing him with Kiwi youngster, Liam Lawson.
Lawson impressed when he stepped in for the injured Daniel Ricciardo for five races in 2023, and again when he replaced Ricciardo from the United States Grand Prix onwards in 2024, both occasions for the RB sister team.
Alex Albon, Williams – contract until at least the end of 2026
Alex Albon signed a two-year contract extension with Williams in May, ensuring he will remain with the team through the 2027 F1 season.
Albon scored 12 points last year, securing 16th place in the Drivers’ Championship, well-outperforming teammates Logan Sargeant and Franco Colapinto.
Carlos Sainz, Williams – contract until at least the end of 2026
After losing his seat to Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari, the Spaniard had few options left and ultimately signed a multi-year contract with Williams.
This year marks his 11th season in F1, with Williams being the fifth team of his F1 career.
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